Aeroplane with detachable body



March 24, 1931. G. ,BROGELLI 1,797,713

v AEROPLANE WITH DETACHABLE BODY Filed May 28, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Marh 1931- I G. BROGELLI} 1,797,713

AEROPLANE WI TH DETACHABLE BODY Filed May 28, 192? 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 March v G. BROGELLI 1,797,713-

AEROPLANE WITH DETACHABLE BODY Filed May 28, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 March 24, 1931. GQBROIGELLI 1,797,713 I AEROPLANE WITH DETACHABLE BODY Filed May 28, 1929 SSheets-Sheet 5 Patented Mar. 24, 1931 4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUIDO BROGELLI, OF LOS ANGELES, GALTFORNIA AERQPLANE WITH DETACHABLE BODY Application filed May 28, 1929. Serial No. 366,647.

This invention relates to aeroplanes with Figure 6 is a side elevation of a diilerent detachable bodies and, more particularly, to form of body than shown in the preceding that type of aeroplane having a construction, views. that will permit of the air foil portion of the Figure 7 is a side elevation of a still differaeroplane being supported on water by ppnent form of body. 7 v

toons while the body is being detached, said Figure 8 is an enlarged broken vertical secbody being employed as a boat, in such tion on the line indicated by 88, Figure 1. instance. 7 Figure 9 is an enlarged broken sectional The invention also relates to that type of view on the line indicated by 99, Figure 8.

10 aeroplane that is provided with. detachable Figure 10 is a vertical section on the line 60 pontoons so that, while the air foil portion of indicated by 10-10, Figure 9. the aeroplane is supported by the boat-like Figure 11 is an enlarged broken longitubody or hull, either or both pontoons may be dinal section on the line indicated by 1111, detached, said pontoons constituting small Figure 1. r

boats which may be propelled over the surface Figure 12 is a broken plan view of the pon- 05 of the water after being detached. toon illustrated in Figure 11.]

'The invention also relates to that type of Figure 13 is an enlarged fragmental secaeroplane provided with a submersible body tional detail on theline indicated by 13 13, or hull of the submarine type so that, while Figure 11.

i the air foil portion of the aeroplane is sup- Figure 14 is an enlarged detail mainly in 70 ported by the pontoons, the hull may be desection, on the line indicated y 14-14, tached and submerged and said hull operated Figure 5. y

, as a submarine. The advantage of this in Figure 15 is a view,'partly in section, from warfare will be apparent. the line indicated by 1515, Figure 14. y

An object of the invention is to provide a Figure 16 is a fragmental sectional detail of 7 construction that with alterations quickly a different form of landing gear than illusmade will fit the aeroplane for landing and trated in Figures 14 and 15. taking off, whether the supporting surface be Figure 17 is a diagrammatic view of the water or land. landing gear and its operating connections.

Another object is to provide a construction Referring to the drawings, there is pro- 80 that will facilitate quick detachment and atvided a sustaining air foil portion compristachment of the body. ing any desired number of wings, there be- Another object is to provide a construction ing, in this instance, two such wings, an upper, that will facilitate detachment and attach-. indicated at 21, and a lower,-indicated at 22.

ment of the pontoons. The elevator and rudder structure is indi- 85 Other objects and advantages will appear 7 cated, in general, by the character 23 and such in the subjoined detailed description. structure may be of any well-known or de- The accompanying drawings illustrate the sired form. The rudder and elevator strucinvention. ture is connected by a frame structure-24 Figure 1 is a plan view of an aeroplane, with the wings 21, 22. so with detachable body, constructed in accord- The lower wing 22 may be supported on a ance with the provisions of this invention. body of water by pontoons 25 and may be Figure 2 is a front elevation of Figure 1. supported on land by a landing gear which Figure 3 is a front elevation of Figure 1 is indicated, in g'enerahat 26. The landing, with the landing gear raised and the body degear is disposed between the pontoons 25 and tached from the wings. 7 also disposed between the two units of the Figure 4 is an enlarged. side elevation of landing gear is the body of the aeroplane. Figure 2. In Figures 1 to 5 the body is indicated at 27 Figure 5 is an enlarged broken front elevaand constitutes asubmersible craft or sub- 50 tion of Figure 4, with the pontoons removed. marine. The body 27 1s detachable from and attachable to the wing 22 by means that will hereinafter be described in detail.

In Figures 6 and 7 are illustrated other forms of bodies, that shown in Figure 6 and indicated by the reference character 28 being in the form of a surface boat, while that shown in Figure 7 and indicated by the reference character 29 is a land vehicle of the automotive type. It is to be understood that either the body 28 or the body 29 may be substituted for the body 27.

The aeroplane may be powered by any desired number of power units, there being illustrated, in this instance, four such units, as indicated at 30. Each of these power units will be mounted on the usual nacelle 31 and the nacelles are suitably connected with the wings or frame so as to propel the aeroplane in a manner well understood in this art. Each power unit 30 drives a propeller 32.

The pilot room is indicated at 33 and, in, this instance, is mounted substantially midway of the len th of the upper'wing 21, directly over the body 27.

The power units 30 are mounted in pairs on opposite sides of the body 27 directly over the pontoons 25.

rovision is made for attaching any of the bodies 27, 28, 29 to the wing structure and detaching them from said wing structure, as hereinbefore mentioned, and, since the construction relied upon to accomplish this for each of the bodies is alike, it will be sufficient to described only that em loyed for attaching and detaching the body 27, as follows Secured to the under face of the wing 22 are cross members 34 each of which is provided in its ends with aligned chambers 35. Projecting into each of the chambers 35 is a screw 36 which is threaded into a movable stud 37. The stud 37 is'of a diameter that will permit it to slide within the chamber 35 and by turning the screw in a direction to project the stud out of the chamber 35, said stud maybe caused to project into a socket 38 in one side of the upper portion of the body 27.

In the present instance there are two sets of screws 36 and studs 37, one set on each side of the body 27, and each set, in this instance, comprises five of the screws 36 and five of the studs 37, thus providing connections at different points along the opposite sides of the body 27 so as to securely hold said body in lace. p The end portions 39 of each cross member 34 project downwardly along the sides of the body 27 and the inner faces 40 of said portions 39 extend aslant upwardly and inward ly as do also those upper portions 41 of the sides of the body 27 that lie adjacent to the faces 40. Thus the body 27 wedgedly fits within each of the cross members 34.

Each screw 36 is provided with a shoulder 42 that abuts the inner end of a bearing 43 threaded into the outer end of the chamber 35 and each screw projects outside of the bearing and fixed to the projec ing end of each screw 36 is a spur pinion 44. Thus there are two sets of the pinions 44, five to each set.

ngaging each set of pinions 44 is a rack 45' that is shiftable endwise within a guide 46. The racks are connected at one end by a shaft 47 which is provided with an operating arm 48 and the operating arm is pivoted at 49 to a rod 50 which extends to any suitable point for operation.

The shaft 47 is provided with a pair of arms 51 pivoted at 52 to brackets 53 that project downwardly from the guides 46. Thus, by moving the rod 50, the rack 45 may be shifted endwise so as to rotate the pinions 44, thus to turn the screws 36 to cause endwise shifting of the studs 37, to either engage or disengage the sockets 38, according to the direction in which the rod 50 is moved. The foregoing described construction for releasably connecting the wing-structure with the body 27 is one form of means for accomplishing this and it is to be understood that other constructions may be employed within the scope of this invention to accomplish the same thing.

As stated hereinbefore, the body 27 is a submarine and, accordingly, within said body are illustrated some of the mechanisms with which submarines are provided. The body 27 is provided with torpedo tubes 54 and a number of ballast chambers 56 are provided for controlling the raising and diving of the submarine. For example, the chambers 56 are illustrated as connected by piping 58 with a pump 59 and said pump pumps water in and out through piping 60. Further description of the mechanism for causing submersion and rising of the submarine to the surface is unnecessary as such mechanism is well understood in the art relating to the construction and operation of submarines.

' The body 27 is provided with a chamber 56 for fuel and with chambers 57 for lubricating oil.

It is to be understood that the bodies 28, 29 will also be provided with sockets corre sponding to the sockets 38, as indicated at 38, 38 in Figures 6 and 7, respectively.

Any suitable mechanism may be employed for detachably connecting the pontoons with the wing structure and I have illustrated one form of means, the construction employed for one pontoon being the same as that for the other and, accordingly, it will be necessary to describe only one of said constructions, as fol lows: The pontoon has an airtight chamber 61 and mounted on .the bottom of the pontoon and projecting upwardly above the deck 62 thereof is a pair of spaced hollow standards 63 in each of which is rotatably mounted a screw 64, the threaded portion of which projects above the upper end of the standard. The wing 22 is provided with a pair of screw threaded sockets 65 spaced to correspond with the spacing of the screws 64 so that when said sockets are brought into registration with the upper ends of the screws, turning of the screws in one direction will engage the threads of the screws in the threads of the sockets 65. A means is provided for simultaneously operating the screws 64 so that they may be caused to simultaneously engage and disengage the wing structure and, in this instance, this means is constructed as follows: r

' Each of the screws 64 is provided with a worm wheel 66 which engages with a worm 67. The worms 67 are on shafts 68, 69, respectively, and each of said shafts rotates in bearings 70 that are carried by the standards. The shafts 68, 69 are provided with bevel gears 71, 72 and said gears are in mesh with a master gear 7 3 on a shaft 74 provided with a hand crank 75.. The shaft 74 turns in a bearing 76 that is carried by one of the stream llIleCl housings 77 that enclose those portions of the standards 63 that project above the deck 62. The housings 77 are carried on the deck 62 and their tops constitute rests engaged by the lower wing when the screws 64 are screwed, fully into the sockets 65, thus making a rigid connection between the pontoons and the wing structure.

In'order that the pontoons may be raised from the surface of the water to bring the screws 64 into engagement with the sockets 65, and to lower said pontoons to the surface of the water when the screws are operated to disengage them from the sockets, there is provided for each of the pontoons a hoist' ing means 7.8 of any suitable construction and which, in this instance, is in the form of block and tackle of well-known construction, one end of which. is secured to the wing 22 and the other det achably connected by a hook-79 and eye-bolt 80 to the deck 62 of the pontoon.

Ordinarily the pontoons will rest on the surface of the water when the aeroplane is afloat, and the wing structure may be flown off of the pontoons, after said pontoons are disconnected from the wing structure. In assembling the pontoons and wing structure, it may be necessary to tilt the wing structure laterally first to one side and then to the other, while the pontoon is being raised and attached.

Each of the pontoons is provided with a compartment 81 closed by a suitable removable cover 82 and each compartment isv adapted to hold an outboard motor 88 of any suitable construction. When it is desired to disconnect the pontoon from the wingstructure and employ said pontoon as a power boat, the outboard motor will be removed. from the compartment 81 and installed in a manner well understood in the art relating thereto so as to drive the pontoon.

The landing gear 26 is of any suitable type capable of being retracted and projected, since it is undesirable to have the landing gear project below the body 27, when it is desired to alight on a body of water. The landing gear, in this instance, is constructed as follows: Secured to the wing structure on opposite sides of the mid-longitudial plane of the aeroplane are cylinders 84, said cylinders,.in this instance, extending from the upper wing through the lower wing. In each of the cylinders 84 works aplunger 85 which connects with a cross-head 86. Each cross-head is provided at its opposite ends with guide rods 87 that slidably engage in guides, 88 which are connected by suitable braces 89 with the cylinder 84. The rods 87 project below the cross-head 86 and journaled at 90 in the lower ends of each pair of rods 87 is a shaft 91, reference being lad more particularly to Figures 14 and 15. Between the journals 90 and the cross-head 86 and surrounding the rods 87 are coil shock springs 92 which aid in absorbing the shock of landing. To further absorb the landing shock, each of the shafts 91 is providedwith an oval hollow resilient body 93 which may be inflated by entraining air through .a duct 94 in the shaft 91, the 94 being provided with an air valve 95 of any suitable construction.

eferring more particularly to Figure 17, oil or any other suitable fluid is inducted to the cylinders 84 and discharged therefrom through pipes 96 which connect to a reservoir 97, there being valves 98 on the pipes 96 to control the flow of fluid to and from the cylinders. If the landing gear is retracted, it may be projected by simply openin the valves 98, whereupon the weight of the plungers and the parts suspended therefromwill move the plungers downward, thus drawing fluid into the cylinders. The valves will then be closed, thus holding the landing gear extended in condition for alighting on a solid surface.

Retraction of the landing gear may be effected by any suitable means as, for example, by cables 99 which are secured to eyes 100 onthe upper ends of the rods 87. The cables 99 pass around pulleys 101 placed at appropriate points on the aeroplane and said cables connect with arms 102 on a shaft 103 which turns in bearings 104 placed at suitable points on the aeroplane so that the operating arm 105 on the shaft 103 is at a convenient location for actuation by an operator. i j

The hereinbefore described landing gear is not claimed herein, as it is the subject of a se arate application for patent.

ferring now to Figure 16, the elements that functionally correspond to those here inbefore described are indicated by the same reference characters with the suffix a. The chief difference between the construction illustrated in Figure 16 and that shown in Figure 14 is that the cushioning effect of the resilient body 93 is obtained by an inner cushioning body 106 of sponge rubber or the like material.

The invention operates as follows: Assuming that the parts are as shown in F igure 4, in which the submarine is attached to the wing structure, and assuming that, for some reason or other, it is desirable to detach the submarine from the wing structure for independent propulsion on the body of water on which the aeroplane is at rest, the rod 50 will be operated in a direction to withdraw the studs 87 from the sockets 38, thereby releasing the submarine, which will then be caused to submerge sufficiently to clear the hirer wing and may then be propelled under its own power from in under the wing structure, thus permitting the wing structure to be supported entirely by the pontoons 25. as shown in Figure '3. In warfare, for example, the submarine, after being detached, may be submerged in a manner well understood in the art relating to submarines so as to advance, unseen, against an enemy vessel or into any desired locality. After the submarine has accomplished its mission, it will be returned to position beneath the wing structure and the rod 50 will then be operated in a direction to move the studs 37 into the sockets 38, thus to aid in supporting the wing structure.

In event of it being desired to land the aeroplane on the surface of the earth, the landing gear will be projected, as hereinbefore described, into the position shown in Figure 2, so that said landing gear will act efficiently to receive the landing shock.

In some instances it may be desirable to detach either or both of the pontoons and, in such event, the crank 75 will be turned in a direction to retract the screws 64: from the sockets G5 and, at the same time, the hoisting device 78 will be cast off from the pontoon. After the pontoon has been thus detached, the outboard motor 83 thereof will be unshipped and placed in position to drive the pontoon, in a manner well understood in the art relating to outboard motor driven vessels. The Jontoon, thus functioning as a small water craft, may then be propelled under its own power for scouting, securing a supply of fuel for the aeroplane, or for any other purpose. A fter the pontoon has returned from its mission. it will be hoisted by operation of the hoisting device 78 into position to engage the upper ends of the screws 64; with the sockets (S5, and the crank 75 will be turned in a direction to cause the screws to enter said sockets. 7

If it be desired to operate a fairly large surface vessel from the wing structure, instead of the submarine, the body 28 will be attached to the wing structure in place of the body 27.

While the submarine 27 or surface craft 28 is detached, the remainder of the aeroplane may be driven aloft out of range of enemy war craft and the observer may then communicate by radio with the commander of the submarine so as to keep the commander advised of the relative positions of the submarine and enemy war craft.

The foregoing description takes into account that the aeroplane is to operate mainly over the water. If the aeroplane is to be operated mainly over land, the land vehicle 29 will be employed in place of either the body 27 or the body 28 and if, for any reason whatsoever, it becomes desirable or necessary to detach the vehicle 29, the same series of operations as outlined above for detaching the body 27 will be performed, thus freeing the land vehicle from the Wing structure so that it can be propelled under its own power to "any desired location.

One use to which the body 29 will be put is to transport passengers, mail or freight from a landing field where the aeroplane has landed to the ultimate destination of said passengers, mail or freight. This is a great advantage, since air ports or landing fields ofttimes remote from more densely inhabited areas where it is usually desirable that the passengers, mail or freight be deposited.

I claim:

1. An aeroplane of the character described comprising a wing structure, a body attached to the-wing structure, pontoons, and means detachably connecting the pontoons with the' wing structure.

2. An aeroplane of the character described comprising a wing structure, a body attached to the wing structure, pontoons, means detachably connecting the pontoons with the wing structure, and propulsion means for the pontoons.

3. An aeroplane of the character described comprising a Wing structure, a body, a means detachably connecting the body with the wing structure, pontoons, and means detachably connecting the pontoons with the wing structure.

4. An aeroplane of the character described comprising a wing structure, a body, propulsion means for the body, a means detachably connecting the body with the wing structure, pontoons, and means detachably' connecting the pontoons with the wing structure.

5. An aeroplane of the character described comprising a wing structure, a bod propulsion means for the body, a means d stachably connecting the body with the wing structure, pontoons, means detachably connecting the pontoons with the wing structure, and propulsion means for the pontoons.

6. An aeroplane of the character described comprising a wing'structure, a body, a retractable landing gear including wheels and connected with the wing structure, pontoons connected with the wing structure on oppositesides of the body, and means detach- :bly connecting the body with the wing strucure.

7. An aeroplane of the character described comprising a win structure, a boat-like body, a means detachab y connecting the body with 10 the wing structure, and pontoons connected with the wing structure on opposite sides of said body.

8. An aeroplane of the character described comprising a wing structure, a body, means 6 15 V detachably connecting the body with the wing structure, pontoons on opposite sides of the body, means detachably connecting the pontoons with the win structure, and propulsion means for said pontoons. g9 Signed at Los Angeles, Calif., this 16th day of May, 1929.

GUIDO BROGELLI.

so v 

